I recently had the opportunity to photograph the badminton player PV Sindhu in between her intense practice sessions for the upcoming BWF World Championships in Glasgow (Update: she won a silver!).

The Caravan, who commissioned me to take a few portraits for the cover and some action shots, ran the photographs beautifully alongside Ajachi Chakrabarti’s excellent profile of her in the August issue. Glad to have finally scored a cover for one of my favourite magazines!

Looking for a quick cup of chai after a walk around the Yousufain Dargah in Hyderabad’s Nampally locality, I spotted a brightly painted cafe occupying a part of an old building adjacent to the dargah. As I walked in, wondering if they also served Irani chai at what looked more like a small restaurant, I almost missed the group of men sitting on their haunches by the door. The sight was intriguing, for many of the men seemed to be dressed reasonably well to be beggars and their backs against the road confirmed they were not daily labourers either. Continue reading ›

It was clear by then that the announcement was going to happen that very evening. The Congress Working Committee meeting was underway in Delhi and everybody seemed to know what the outcome would be- the decision to go ahead with bifurcation of Andhra Pradesh and create a separate state of Telangana.

However, as I reached the Arts College in the Osmania University (OU) campus, there was not much activity. Surprising, since it was this University that had been at the forefront of the agitations in 1969 and 2009.

4:58 PM: All I saw was Krishank Manne, spokesperson of the Osmania University Joint Action Commitee (OU JAC) and a junior of mine from the MCJ days, waiting on the steps of the college with a few friends/followers.

August 19, 2012 by Harsha Vadlamani in

Tollywood, the Telugu-language film industry based in Hyderabad in southern India, produced more films than Bollywood in 2013-14. Every year, thousands of aspiring actors and technicians move to the city, renting tiny quarters in Krishna Nagar and Indira Nagar to be close to the film studios.

Many of them come from small towns and villages and have no real acting experience or the much-needed 'background and maintenance’ – industry-speak for caste, money, connections and urban savvy.
They typically begin as junior artistes (extras) and with some luck and effort, may well become supporting cast or lead actors in low-budget movies and television shows.

2012-Ongoing.

Portfolio photographs of aspiring actors on display at a dance institute-cum-casting agency in Krishna Nagar, Hyderabad. May 2012.

Preetham Alladi (23), shooting for the first scene of his new film, waits for the director’s cue to enter the frame. Hyderabad, July 2015.

Sonam, an actor from Mumbai, on the sets of a horror-thriller in Hyderabad. Local filmmakers prefer women actors from Mumbai and north India for their fair skin and willingness to wear modern and revealing outfits. October 2014.

Film sets at Ramoji Film City, Hyderabad, the largest film studio complex in the world. December 2012.

Lakavath Chanti (20) at a portfolio shoot in Indira Nagar, Hyderabad. May 2015.

Moviegoers started lining up at 4 am for tickets to the first show of Baahubali, the most expensive Telugu-language film ever made, at a theatre in Kukatpally, Hyderabad. July 2015.

Mohammed Nazeem Ali (32) has an elevator business. His interest in films led him to produce and to star in a horror-thriller. October 2014.

A festive pandal comes up on the eve of Ganesh Chaturthi in Krishna Nagar, Hyderabad. September 2015.

Anitha Mukkurala (23) and Kavya Reddy Gurram (24), who became friends working together in a film, look out for each other and exchange information about opportunities. August 2015.

Junior artistes rest in between shots on the sets of Baahubali, an epic drama filmed at Ramoji Film City, Hyderabad. October 2014.

Junior artistes on the sets of Baahubali, an epic drama filmed at Ramoji Film City, Hyderabad. October 2014.

A character in a horror film, played by Sai (23), falls unconscious when a supernatural force strikes him. Jubilee Hills, Hyderabad. August 2015.

After spending a year and a half trying to land a good role in Tollywood, actor Arun Kumar Yalanati (26) calls it quits. All set to leave for his hometown, Ongole, he calls an agent who owes him money. May 2015.

Ashok, a young artiste and film set construction crew worker, rents a bed at a lodge in Krishna Nagar for INR 30 (USD 0.50) a night. July 2012.